Machine for applying rubber soles to the bottoms of leather boots or shoes.



No. 762,024. PATENT'ED JUNE 7, 1904.

- G. F. BUTTERFIELD. MACHINE POR' APPLYING RUBBER SOLBS TO THE BOTTQMS OP LEATHER BOOTS 0R SHOES.

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i A mm I Iii-a5 I WT ESSES No. 762,024. PATBNTED JUNE 7, 1904.

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MACHINE FOR APPLYING RUBBER SOLES TO THE BOTTOMS 0E LEATHER BOOTS OR SHOES.

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G. P; BUTTERFIELD. MACHINE FOR- APPLYING RUBBER SOLES TO THE BOTTOMS 0P LEATHER BOOTS 0R SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 10, 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented June 7, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

GEORGE F. BUTTERFIELD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GRACE I. BUTTERFIELD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING RUBBER SOLES TO THE BOTTOMS OF LEATHER BOOTS OR SHOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 762,024, dated June 7,1904.

Application filed December 10,1903. Serial No. 184,576. (No model.)

To all w/wm it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. BUTTER- FIELD, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Applying Rubber Soles to the Bottoms of Leather Boots or Shoes, of which the follow? ing is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for applying by vulcanization outer soles of indiarubber compound to the bottoms of leather boots and shoes; and my improvements consist in the apparatus herein illustrated and described whereby the shoe in process of completion is held firmly in position without injury to the leather during .the vulcanizing operation, because the heat is beneath the sole only and the air circulates freely around the upper-leather during the entire process.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section through the machine and shoe about on line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan of the lower portion of the machine, partly in section about on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, the shoe being removed and the adjustable plates fully exposed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the adjust: able plates for the toe portion of the machine and shoe. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the broken line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

In my system of securing rubber soles to the bottoms of leather shoes the rubber compound is contained in a sole-shaped cavity in the mold 11, for which cavity the shoe 12 under treatment forms the cover during the final vulcanizing operation, the shoe meanwhile, as seen in Fig. 1, being mechanically held down internally by power applied from above to a last or foot-form 13, completely covering the insole and formed with a vertical stem 14, preferably broadened at top, as in Fig. 3, where it is shouldered and detachably connected to the movable top plate 15 of the machine by a set-screw 30.

The rubber 10, either wholly unvulcanized or shaped and partly vulcanized and having a thin vulcanizable layer at top, is subjected to heavy pressure and to heat from beneath, acting through the bottom of the mold or basethe wedges are withdrawn.

plate 16 to complete the vulcanization and unite the rubber tenaciously to the shoe-bottom in a manner similar to that described in other patents of mine.

A feature of my present improvement (shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 5) is embodied in the frame composed of the base-plate 16 and top plate 15, connected by vertical standards at the four corners, so as to have. a limited movement of the top toward and from the base and to be held in engagement or released by simple and efficient means. As herein shown, the standards 17 are tubular legs extending downward from the corners of plate 15 to inclose short upright pins 18, fixed in the baseplate, said legs and pins having slots so contiguously arranged that wedges 19, driven through both, will tighten the shoe carried by the foot-form 13 down' upon the rubber in the mold and hold the parts in that position until I provide also adjustable clamping mechanism to hold the shoe marginally upon the rubber in the mold. A plurality of horizontally-adjustable clampplates 20, Figs. 1, 2, and 5,,are arranged side by side in two series and on opposite sides of the shoe. The tips of these clamp-plates are beveled to enter the space between the upper and welt of the shoe to bear down upon the welt, as in Fig. 1, and when properly adjusted their forward edges conform as a whole to the shape of that part of the shoe. (See Fig. 2, where, however, one of the plates 20 is shown withdrawn. Each clamp-plate has toward its rear end a thick boss 21, perforated and threaded to receive its adjusting-screw 22.

The clamp-plates and screws of the series on each side of the shoe are mounted on a swinging frame 23, hinged to the base-plate 16 by a stout rod or shaft 24 through ears 25 on said parts. (See Figs. 1, 2, and 3.) Each frame has between and parallel with its end bars ribbed or grooved intermediate bars forming guideways for the edges of the clampplates to slide on or in when adjusted. (See Fig. 2.) The adjusting-screws 22 have their bearings for rotation only in the main bar of frame 23. (See Figs. 1, 2, and 3.) From this it will be apparent that each clamp-plate is separately movable toward and from the shoe or mold to properly enter the space between the upper and welt or for adjustment to any particular width of shoe of that length and also that the several clamps of either series may without readjustment move, together with the swinging frame in which they are mounted, when it is desired to insert or remove the shoe. When the pressure is relaxed, the hinge-rod 24 may be removed, allowing the swinging frames to slide back and forward abouthorizontally to move the clampplates 20 from and toward the edge of the shoe. \Vhen different widths of the same shoe are desired, slight changes in shape of the toe and heel clamps may be made, as indicated in dotted lines, Fig. 4.. Any clamp-plate can be removed inwardly from the raised swinging frame when required and another substituted, These swinging frames are suitably braced from above to hold the clamp-plates down upon the welt or margin of the shoesole. Over each adjusting-screw, and preferably over all the clamp-plates, the swinging frame is extended forward either as an arm 26, Fig. 1, or as a continuous cover 26, Fig. 5, to bear down upon the several clamp-plates at points adjacent to their tips. From said arms or cover spring-bars 27, preferably pivoted to hubs 28, extend upwardly to a bearing-point beneath the top plate 15. These bars are shown in Fig. 1 to be bent near the upper ends to enable them to yield under pressure and toothed or otherwise shaped terminally to engage, with more or less of tension, with seats 29, secured to the top plate. The bars 26, pivoted as shown, may swing sidewise, as one is shown in dotted lines, Fig. 3, to disengage their upper ends when the pressure is released. Elastic action in these pressure-bars is highly desirable to the end that undue strain shall not come upon the clampplates 20 during the vulcanizing operation.

In practice a series of machines such as described, with the shoe held in position therein, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, are placed side by side between the upper and lower platens of a hydraulic press, in which the steam or other heat is applied to the lower platen only. The pressure is uniform on the several machines and adequate to resist the expansion of the rubber in vulcanizing, the heat and pressure causing the rubber in each mold to become tenaciously united to the shoe bottom and welt.

My present improvement is to be distinguished from the prior art shown in my Patent No. 667 ,67 4c and others in that instead of a separate vulcanizer with each machine and as a part of it I now provide a machine having the mold, the foot-form, the marginal clamps, and pressure devices all held between top and bottom plates in position to be subjected to hydraulic pressure and to the vulcanizing heat when a series of these holdingmachines are placed between the platens of the vulcanizing press. When the rubber is sufficiently cured, my present machines may be removed from said press and allowed to cool gradually under the pressure of their own devices, while another series with shoes in position is introduced into the press.

The industrial advantage of this improvement is very great.

I claim as my invention-- 1. In apparatus for applying rubber soles to leather shoe-bottoms, skeleton frames comprising a bottom plate formed witha soleshaped mold and carrying clamps for the sole edges, a top plate provided with a depending stem carrying a last or foot-form registering with such mold, and upright connecting devices for holding said parts in operative position and permitting free circulation of the air among them, such frames being adapted for use in series between the platens of a vulcanizing-press, by which increased pressure and vulcanizing heat are imparted, substantially as set forth.

2. The bottom plate carrying the mold and the top plate carrying the foot-form depending therefrom, said plates being connected by slotted, concentrically-arranged standards and by wedge-shaped keys, in combination witha plurality of adjustable clamping-plates bearing at their tips on the shoe-welt and there conforming to the outline of the shoe, and with means for bracing and holding down the clamp-plates, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE F. BUTTERFIELD.

Witnesses:

A. H. SPENCER, H. W. LADD. 

